Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Every once in awhile I get myself feeling a bit homesick for the Pacific Northwest. Usually this homesick thing happens when something happens in the Washington zone that I wish I was there to see.

Like when the Kingdome was imploded earlier this century. Or was it late in the previous century?

Or when the 1999 Battle in Seattle happened during a WTO meeting.

During both the Kingdome implosion and the Battle in Seattle I got live reports, via phone, from people on the scene. I remember a particularly tearful account during the Battle in Seattle when the caller was describing watching her Starbucks being destroyed on the ground level, below her skyscraper riot viewing location.

And now today, the largest crowd ever to assemble in Seattle, is downtown, even as I type.

Over 700,000 people. More people than the population of Seattle, lined up from the Space Needle to the Seattle Seahawk CenturyLink stadium, two miles to the south, as the Seattle Seahawk's players paraded past the fans, escorted by the Washington National Guard, with the players in Humvees and those weird Seattle Amphibious Ducks that haul tourists around town.

Washington's Governor, Jay Inslee, proclaimed a "Moment of Loudness" to last 30 seconds at 12:12 Pacific time, which was a couple hours ago. 700,000 is about 10 times the number of noisemakers that can fit into the Seahawk stadium. Those Seahawk stadium noisemakers twice triggered earthquakes this year.

I have heard no reports, yet, that the "Moment of Loudness" has triggered any earthquakes.

Anyway, very cool day, in more ways than one, for Seattle, Washington and the Pacific Northwest. I wish I was there....